Houston's Mayoral Election: Scott Hinkley

Coming from the Bay Area, I am obviously very excited about any new milestones in sexual equality. I am equally pleased to see this very "grass-roots" success. I think that Ms. Parker's election is a strong reminder that people can transcend their internal stereotypes when they find a person they connect or identify with. Racism and prejudice tends to build up most in places where there are few actual examples of people fitting those minority groups. Texas strongly apposed all recent attempts to increase the legal rights of gays and lesbians, but they are such a faceless group of sinners until you actually meet one you understand.

I think that homosexuality, along with anything else scorned in ancient religious texts, will remain a strong point of contention long after more victories are won and more leaders appointed, because it erodes the very power-structures built around those texts, and for many, that is a lot of influence and money to let slip away. I encourage all people to see prejudice as a tool for the greedy and the self-righteous, and that diffusing their power is as simple as walking away from their self-serving advice.

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